01-25-2024, 07:50 AM
Well, as for Mauna Kea, one observatory spends about half its time supporting NASA space missions, and another spends a lot of time monitoring and identifying the nature of space debris in orbit around the Earth. The others all contribute to NASA missions from time to time while looking at asteroids and comets that could potentially impact our planet. Then there are the observatories on Haleakala that search for earth-threatening asteroids and comets and the UH IfA and MKO staff who continue to work with NASA with ongoing missions. Hawaii isn't irrelevant in those respects.
What I think the author means is not Hawaii's contribution to space, instead it's aerospace. There's a great opportunity here due to the presence of the observatory, and their help in training and funding students and interns in STEM and relevant science and engineering projects, but after that, there are few opportunities for those students to remain in the islands.
What I think the author means is not Hawaii's contribution to space, instead it's aerospace. There's a great opportunity here due to the presence of the observatory, and their help in training and funding students and interns in STEM and relevant science and engineering projects, but after that, there are few opportunities for those students to remain in the islands.